How Our Story Goes
by nolongerauseronthissite
Summary: When Raven's father falls mysteriously ill, Raven and Apple are thrown into a game of political chess and one not so easily played. Tyrannical lords, assassination attempts, deadly secrets, and True Love? With their kingdoms on the line, they will need their wits, strengths, and most importantly, each other if they intend to win. Eventual Rapple, other pairings along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_**How Our Story Goes**_

 _Chapter 1: The Roommate Conundrum_

* * *

 _You've got her pretty whipped, you know that right?_

Apple froze, struck so deeply and fiercely by the comment that it left her immobile. She finished chewing what was in her mouth, lest she choke on it, but it still snagged on the lump forming in her throat as she muttered an indignant, "W-What?"

They were at Peter Pan-era for lunch, considering the weather was gorgeous enough to make the trek into Bookend and because Hagatha still had yet to learn how to cook anything aside from lumpy porridge. Briar had been the one to suggest it, and everyone else had been more than happy to agree, partly to explore the town afterward and partly to get off school-grounds for a while.

It had all started when Ashlynn showed up late, rushing through the front door in a whirlwind of speed and anger. Briar had left the window open yet again after using it to rappel down instead of taking the stairs "like a normal person", which wasn't really the problem. The problem was that some of the woodland creatures had wandered in and found Ashlynn's stash of granola bars and cleaned her out completely, leaving a giant mess in their wake.

Ashlynn was eventually mollified, Briar could probably care less, and conversations between the remaining girls switched to problems with their own roommates. Holly had nothing to say about her sister, only that Poppy kept leaving scissors lying around and that Barber wouldn't stop leaving them 'surprises'. Rosabella muttered something about Darling's exercise regime being a distraction, a small blush dusting her cheeks. Blondie complained about Cupid always leaving feathers around the room which Lizzie agreed to full-heartedly, saying she knew all too well about feathers littering the floor. Farrah only wished Meeshell would stop leaving fish in the bathtub.

"What 'bout you, Apple? Rooming with Raven can't be a walk through the pages?"

But Apple, always the polite and honest princess, could not find a fault with her roommate, Raven Queen. So she said as much; crediting Raven on her tidiness and how she respected Apple's wishes for a clean room at all times. Raven was considerate enough to practice her magic on their private balcony and Apple consented to let Nevermore sleep in the room when she and Gala appeared on occasion. And whenever they Hexflix marathoned, Raven always let Apple pick out what they watched. All in all, Raven was one of the best roommates Apple could have wished for.

And that's when Briar said it. She meant it jokingly, of course. By the way she smirked and how Blondie nearly snorted out her espresso, everyone else sharing similar grins and giggles, Apple knew it was supposed to be teasing, and yet…

Briar waved her hand flippantly, taking a bite of her sandwich wrap before saying, "I'm just saying, she's probably the 'perfect roommate' because you made her as such. She's essentially whipped."

"Raven is not whipped!" Apple said, a little too sharply and a little too loud. Everyone at the table went wide-eyed and conversations at the table next to theirs stopped. Heat rose to her cheeks and she stared down at her sandwich with sudden fascination. Or maybe she didn't want her friends to notice her blush and get mixed messages. That must be it.

"I-I mean to say, that I do not have Raven… _whipped_ , so to speak." Apple nearly chugged her iced tea, hoping to cool off a little and to keep herself occupied from saying anything else.

But she all but spat it back out when Briar snorted out, " _Please._ You have that witch wrapped around your little finger, _your highness._ "

Apple saw red, and it was not coming from the color in her dress. It was one thing to tease about Raven, but throwing her _title_ into things was pushing it.

Being the heir to the kingdom of Ever After meant that, essentially, Apple was the princess above all princesses. Apple had never considered herself above anyone else and had never thought her title as the future Queen of Ever After meant as much until this past year, their final year at Ever after. It started during Welcoming Week, when some of the newer, First Year students saw her on the first day, obviously, since Apple had volunteered to show them around the campus. She hadn't even gotten out a proper "Welcome!" when a young prince stepped forward and _bowed_ to her. "Your Highness, Miss Apple White, a great honor!" His voice was a few squeaks short of a mouse's, but it must have carried because the rest of the small band of first years all began to bow and shout, "Your Highness!"

Apple had been stunned by the display. Sure, people had bowed to her before; at royal gatherings where she wore her prettiest ball gowns and slapped on the prettiest of smiles, but this was at _school_ , among her _peers._ Luckily, Raven, whom she had dragged along to help show the First Years around, was quick to step in and start the tour, Apple following numbly beside her.

When word had gotten around about the First Years' display towards their future queen, the entire school began to do it! Her friends, like Briar, thought it was funny and did it jokingly, but other students, the ones Apple wasn't as close to, were quite serious. And worse, when Apple had gone to Headmaster Grimm to have him put a stop to the bowing and titling, he outright refused. "As future queen of Ever After, it is about time you become accustomed to your superior station, your Highness."

Oddly enough, Apple found it all quite discomforting. She dare not say such a thing out loud, lest anyone think she were unfit to be a ruler, but she was _chapters_ away from actually inheriting her mother's crown and throne. And having nearly an entire school see her as something she did not feel ready to be, was daunting. She only confided such fears in one person, the only person in the school who never called her by her royal title: Raven.

"You're still you, you know," Raven had said the night after the Welcoming fiasco, when they were cuddled up on Raven's bed and marathoning _The 100 Chapters_. "Royal title be damned. If you still want to be Apple White and not, _Her Royal Highness Miss Apple White_ , then that's who you are." Hearing that had made Apple feel something tingly and warm deep in her chest and she smiled to herself. She made Raven swear never to use her title, even at the insistence of the Headmaster or from others, not even jokingly. Raven had smirked and gently kissed her temple, the action sending pleasant shivers down her spine and the warmth in her chest blossoming. "You'll always just be Apple to me."

"Regardless," Ashlynn said, snapping Apple out of her memory relapse. "Raven is still a pretty great roommate, sweetie."

"Only because she trained her to be, Ashes," Briar quipped and Ashlynn frowned.

"And how, pray tell, have I _trained_ her?" Apple asked, desperately trying to keep her voice at bay and her anger in check. It was, after all, most unbecoming of a future monarch to throw a fit in the company of the public.

Briar set her sandwich aside and used her fingers to tally. "You've trained Raven to be as much of a neat freak as you are."

"Raven likes tidiness as much as I do."

"You make her practice her magic outside on your balcony."

"Raven understands the dangers of magic and the two of us agree that having the Fairy Fire Department knocking down our door because the smoke detector wouldn't stop going off whenever Raven brewed potions was totally unfairest."

"She carries your purse sometimes."

Apple opened her mouth but no rebuttal came. Yes, on occasion, whenever Apple asked Raven to hold her purse, the witch would consent to holding it for her, even though she often complained about holding something so girly and so heavy. "Seriously, what do you pack in here? Bricks? Planning on building fortitude against the Big Bad Wolf anytime soon?"

"I ask her nicely, but she always complains whenever she does," Apple said.

Briar _tsked_. "Nuance. She brings you Apple Cider from the Hocus Latte basically every morning."

"And I bring her Black Tea from the Haberdashery nearly just as much."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she randomly gave you gifts too." Apple blushed. Briar smirked and nodded at the silent admission.

Raven did like to surprise Apple with gifts sometimes. Nothing big or particularly special, but little trinkets here and there. One of her favorites was a little wooden, hand carved butterfly Raven had enchanted to flutter around the room from time to time. And usually, whenever Raven left a gift, she left a note attached. The notes varied from "for you," to "have a great day". Some were longer, "I noticed you weren't smiling like usual today, so I hope this helps," and others were quite poetic, "Happy is the night sky, with haste comes the moon, and bask they shall in eternity amongst the stars." Apple really liked the poems, even if she didn't properly understand them, and she dare not ask Raven what she meant, but every poem never ceased to bring a smile to her face and leave it there for a good long while.

Apple shook her head, bringing herself back to what Briar had said. "In any case, I fail to see how any of this is a display of Raven being whipped."

"Because if you asked her too, she'd do anything you say. I'd bet money that if you asked for the moon and the stars, she'd try and find a way to get them for you."

Apple thought her face was going to be stuck in a permanent shade of fairy fire engine red. That had hit a little too close to home, because Raven _had_ given Apple the moon and the stars. Sort of. She had enchanted their ceiling to make it look like there was no ceiling all and instead you were just looking up at the sky. It even changed with the time of day: hues of blue and misty clouds during the day, black swirls and stars at night.

"I mean, seriously Apple. The girl is practically at your beck and call. Tell her to carry your books and she'd ask how many. Tell her to jump and she'd ask how high. Demand attention and she'd probably drop everything just for you. I'm surprised you haven't leashed her yet! Unless you have, then I'd pay good coin to seeeeeeEEEEE! SHIT! ASH!"

Thankfully, almost mercifully, Ashlynn had taken a few ice cubes from her drink and had promptly deposited them down the back of her best friend's shirt. Briar was out of her chair and shaking out her shirt faster than Cerise could sprint, curses spewing out of her mouth in a most unladylike manner.

Rosabella grabbed her cousin before the poor girl could make an even bigger scene, while the rest of the girls giggled between each other, and Ashlynn was left to calmly sip her iceless drink. But everyone stopped when Apple abruptly stood up, metal chair scrapping. She dug in her purse and threw down some money, enough to probably cover all their meals and the tip, and muttered a simple "see you 'round" before striding out the door, Briar calling, "Wait, Apple! Come on! I was just-"

The door cut off the rest of Briar's pleas and once outside Apple wasted no time in hurrying off.

* * *

 **Hey folks! This is my first story in EAH fandom and I'm a little nervous but excited at the same time. Comments, questions, concerns are welcome.**


	2. Raven to the Rescue

**_How Our Story Goes_**

 _Chapter 2: Raven to the Rescue_

* * *

Raven loved the fall season. She couldn't put a definite reason as to why she loved autumn so much, but whenever the air turned crisper and the leaves changed color, it filled her with a sense of joy and peace. Dresses were exchanged for sweaters, fashionable scarves, and leggings. Children spent their days back in the classroom and their afternoons laughing and playing in the fallen leaves. The feeling of change in the atmosphere; that sense of 'ending' and 'newness' blending together and drifting through the breeze, filling people with hope and content. In the immortal words of Blondie Lockes, it was ' _just right.'_

Raven took a deep breath, inhaling the smells of pumpkin spiced _everything_. The Beanstalk Bakery had a tray of freshly made Peter Peter Pumpkin Pies sitting in the display window and the Hocus Latte had a line out the door with Ever After High students rushing to get their fill of pumpkin spiced beverages. School had been in session for less than two weeks and nearly everyone from Ever After was out and about in Bookend today, soaking up the last rays of sun before the air got colder and fall really set in.

The bell chimed above the Mad Hatter's Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe as Maddie skipped out, waving farewell to her father who wiggled his left foot back at her. Raven left her perch leaning against the building and joined her friend as they made their way down Table of Contents Avenue. They were heading to Raven's favorite store, Rebel Records Muse-ic Store, hoping to pick up some new albums and maybe some new guitar strings. Word on the Mirrornet was that Andy Punctuation's new album was totally " _wicked_ " and Raven was dying to get her hands on it. Maybe she'd pick up a CD of One Reflection for Apple while she was at it.

"As your BFFA, I'd like to think that I understand you, in the most nonsensical sense of the term, mind you," Maddie spoke up, sounding surprisingly serious but with a Wonderlandian Madness accent. "But what I can't make hats or cat tails of is yours and Apple's relationship."

Raven gave her friend a quizzical look. "What?"

"The Narrators said you were thinking of buying Apple a new CD, but I thought you bought her that new Tailor Quick album just last week."

Raven gently rolled her eyes, remembering that even private thoughts were not always private when in the presence of Maddie and her Narrators. "I did get her that album, but I want to surprise her with something nice."

"You mean, _spoil_ her with something nice." Raven looked shocked at her friend's statement, to which Maddie laughed manically at the witches' troubled face. "Well it's true!"

"I don't _spoil_ Apple. I just… like to do nice things for her." Raven said, swallowing hard when Maddie gave her a maddening smile.

"And you doing nice things for your princess wouldn't have anything to do with why you and Dexter never went on a second date, hm?"

"Dexter and I never went out again because I see him as a friend and he only sees me as a friend, nothing more, which has _nothing_ to do with Apple," Raven countered, only to be thwarted by the heat rising in her cheeks. "And she isn't _my_ princess."

Maddie laughed, Earl Grey scampering out of her plush coat at the commotion and into her waiting palms. "As Earl Grey agrees, a wild bandersnatch cannot change its stripes, but it always favors fruit to fish."

Before Raven had time to decipher Maddie's Riddleish, her mirrorphone suddenly chimed, signaling an incoming hext. Raven dug it out of her jacket, expecting Cerise or Darling, but was confused when she saw the message was from Ashlynn Ella; the following hext even more confusing.

 ** _Looking for Apple. Have you seen her?_**

"Troubles?" Maddie asked, gently petting Earl Grey behind the ears. Raven shot back a quick reply. **_No. Headin to the Muse-ic store right now. Why?_**

"Why not just ask the Narrators?" Raven asked, smiling when Maddie stuck out her tongue. "It's Ashlynn, wondering where Apple is."

Maddie cocked her head amusingly to one side. "Lizzie said they were all going to Peter Pan-era for lunch, but that was half-a-tea-time ago," she said, gently nudging Earl Grey to sit inside her tea-cup hat. Raven merely shrugged.

Nearly too fast for the human eye to see, a blur of red dashed from around the corner and stopped just shy of crashing into Raven and Maddie. Had they not grown accustomed to the red hooded girls' sudden appearances from time to time, the two would have been jumping for cover. Instead they merely greeted their fast friend. "Hey Cerise."

Cerise delicately fixed her hood before turning her attention to the duo before her. "Been lookin' for you," she said, nodding at Raven. "Seen Apple?"

"Ashlynn just asked me the same thing," Raven answered just as another figure rounded the corner where Cerise had, Darling looking a little winded from catching up to the hooded girl. But knowing those two, and seeing as how they were the fastest girls in Ever After, they could have been running for forever after and barely broken a sweat.

"Probably hoping you were in the dorm or back at school," Cerise huffed, sniffing the air. "That's where Apple's trail leads anyways."

"Holly says she ran off nearly half an hour ago. Asked us to help look for you." Darling said, struggling to refasten her left pauldron that had come loose in her chase after Cerise.

Raven's stomach twisted uncomfortably. "Ran off?" Just then her mirrorphone buzzed again with Ashlynn's reply.

 ** _We were having lunch together, but Briar may have said something to make her upset. Please let me know if you find her._**

"Who is it?" Darling asked.

Raven pocketed her mirrorphone, her brow creasing with concern. "Ashlynn, wondering where Apple is. If she did run back to the dorms, she'll most likely be in our room. I just hope she's not too upset with… whatever after it was that upset her." The others agreed, giving each other knowing looks of unease.

It was a fact only acknowledge by Apple's closest friends that the future queen of Ever After had a temper. Granted, Apple could conduct herself as any princess should in the eye of the pubic and as far as tempers went Lizzie Hearts most definitely took that cake and ate it too; but in private, they had all at some point bared witness to an infamous Apple White meltdown, Raven probably more than anyone else.

Apple was not an angry person, but Ancestors if she didn't sometimes act like fury personified in a curvy little bottle covered in sparkles. And if you were unfortunate enough to have pissed her off to such an extent, be prepared for a never ending grudge match and hostility in the form of one ice cold shoulder.

For Briar's sake, Raven hoped the sleepy princess hadn't taken things too far.

She turned to her friends, saying, "Go find Ashlynn and the rest of the girls and tell them I'm heading back to school to go calm Apple down. Maybe the three of you can find out why she ran off in the first place?"

The trio nodded, Maddie giving a mock salute. "You got it, Chief."

The four disbanded in separate directions; Darling, Cerise, and Maddie went to find Ashlynn and the perpetrator Briar, while Raven headed back towards the troll bridge that lead to the school. She stopped herself as she passed the Hocus Latte, back tracking and making a little detour inside. In all her years of rooming with Apple, she had picked up a thing or two about the Royal faction leader, the most important being: when poking at a sleeping bear, it is best to first offer one an iced caramel apple macchiato with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

* * *

Apple, almost predictably, had raced back to her dorm room where she lay face down on her bed, pouting. What Briar said should not have had this kind of effect on her, yet for some reason it did. The teasing had stung, yes, but Apple was at a loss as to _why._ Well, no, she _knew_ why. She just didn't want to admit it.

She wasn't mad at Briar. Annoyed, sure, but she was far more distraught over the fact that she could not have been more ignorant to this… _thing_ that was going on between her and Raven even if she tried.

A part of her wanted to believe that Briar was just talking fables and that there was no foundation beneath her words. After all, Raven had gone off script ages ago and defied her fairytale destiny. _That_ certainly wasn't Raven being _whipped_. She was the Rebel faction leader, she who told everyone that they had a choice, a say in how their destinies went. She was headstrong, sarcastic and witty, and fairytales was she _stubborn._ It just wasn't in her nature to take orders from anyone.

Then again, another part of Apple was taking Brair's words to heart, and she couldn't help it. Granted, Raven would never go as far as to follow her destiny if Apple asked, but it seemed like a lifetime ago when Raven had slammed the Story Book of Legends shut on their Legacy Day, and in some ways it really was a lifetime ago. They had changed so much since then; changed each other, grew together, gone to _Wonderland_ _and back_ for Ancestors sake! How could they not have changed?

Apple smiled, half fondly and half sadly, at the memory of Wonderland. That had been one of their biggest adventures together with their friends. The wonder, the madness, going to Wonderland High, saving Lizzie's mom, battling Courtly…

Apple shuddered at the memory. Courtly, while sane now—well, sane by Wonderland standards—had been on a power-crazed mission to take over Wonderland. Had it not been for Raven, signing her name and inheriting her mother's powers, Courtly would have won the battle for Wonderland and by Grimm Apple couldn't _begin_ to imagine the kind of havoc that could have been. Apple is still a tad warry of the jovial jester and, though she would never admit so aloud, she tends to avoid Courtly as much as possible.

But worst of all, was what she had seen Raven become. For five hot seconds it was like Raven had disappeared; the witch she had come to call her BFFA was gone and replaced by something darker, wicked, and terrible. Had Raven not possessed the sheer iron will to ignore the darkness and spare Courtly…

Apple had once wished that fate upon Raven. The very idea of Raven turning back into… _that…_ was nauseating.

Something wet and warm brushed against the side of her cheek, making Apple glance over, only to be greeted by another fat "kiss" on the nose. Gala, her artic fox, was lying beside her owner and giving Apple a look that said, " _I'm here for you_." Apple smiled before rolling onto her back and grabbing her companion, pulling her close for some much needed snuggling. Gala was more than happy to oblige, her fluffy white tail twitching in delight.

Apple sighed heavily through her nose, thinking. In a tiny, selfish, and almost shameful portion of her mind, she liked the idea of Raven being wrapped around her little finger. Of course, just thinking about it made the princess's stomach flip unsettlingly. She didn't want her Best Friend Forever After trained to a point where, on command, she'd do anything the princess requested. Which was riddle-iculous because Raven was too independent and too headstrong to bend over backwards for anyone. The thought was madder than the Mad Hatter! And yet…

Apple had to admit that Raven was too good to her sometimes. The first time Raven had set off the smoke detector in their room was when she was brewing a project for her class, Magicology 201, and the Fairy Fire Department had busted down their door in two seconds flat. Apple had been angry, sure, but when it happened a second and a _third_ time, Apple was as red as her namesake. She had pitched a fairy fit when the FFD finally left, broken door and all, and in the heat of the moment, she had banished the witch to work with her magic outside the room from now on, lest she wanted to deal with being kicked out if it so much as happened once more.

Raven had said nothing, and Apple went to calm down in Ashlynn and Briar's room for the night. When she returned the next morning, Raven wasn't there, but she found the door repaired, Raven's work station set up out on their balcony, and a little wooden butterfly sitting on her vanity. The apology note took up two whole pages and when Apple finally found Raven at breakfast, sitting with Maddie and Cedar, she had all but tackled her with a hug and an apology.

But was that Raven being whipped or considerate? Was the butterfly just a kindhearted surprise or was it Raven trying to get back in Apple's good graces because she feared she had stepped out of line? Were they really friends or was Apple holding Raven by some kind of invisible chain?

A small yip broke Apple from her thought-induced trance as she realized she had squeezed poor Gala a little too tightly. Apple scratched the critter under her chin absentmindedly in apology.

"Is it true?" she wondered aloud suddenly, swallowing around the lump forming in her throat. Gala's ears pricked at the sound of her owner's voice and she gave a small whimper. "Have I… taken advantage of Raven's friendship?"

In reply, Gala suddenly wiggled out of Apple's grasp and quickly darted across the room towards Raven's side. Just as suddenly, Apple's enchanted butterfly took to the air from its perch on Raven's nightstand, just missing the swipe of a paw. Nevermore, who had been napping on Raven's bed, opened one lazy eye to see what the commotion was, only to resume her nap when Gala's playing disinterested her.

Apple sighed, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her thoughts made her queasy and overall unfairest. She shouldn't have left the girls like that and Grimm did she need to talk to Raven about a few things.

Her mirrorphone buzzed, another hext from Ashlynn or Holly probably. They were worried, of course, but Apple couldn't find it in herself to care. Not when she was dealing with potentially friendship-altering problems. The thought of facing Raven right now was terrifying, but she felt a sudden urgency, a need to find Raven and explain.

She grabbed her mirrorphone and purse, skipping over the new messages and clicking on Raven's contact. Raven had said something about going into Bookend with Maddie, but hopefully they would be done shopping by now and Apple could meet Raven back in town.

 ** _Hey, Raven. I kind of need to talk to you, face to face. Where are you right now?_**

Apple headed for the door, only to have it magically swing towards her as Raven entered the room. "Right here."

* * *

 **Hey Folks! Sorry this took so long. Had originally planned for this to be longer, but decided to cut it. Comments and questions are always welcome!**


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